A Note to Parents: Merry Happy Whatever is designed to be a family show, yet things have changed since The Brady Bunch was popular. This show features a teenager deciding he’s an atheist, a young woman embracing her homosexuality, and the implications of unmarried couples sleeping together. We at The Source For Parents never want to introduce something to kids that you wouldn’t want them to watch, so we develop discussions that parents can use if they feel the show is appropriate for their child. This show avoids the language and violence we often see today, but each parent will need to decide on their own if it’s appropriate for their family.
Season 1, Episode 7: Christmas Break
Christmas Day has gone, and the relationships we’ve seen throughout this season are all navigating change. On the positive side, Don and Nancy have their first official date as Nancy has invited him to dinner.
Don: Uh, Nancy has invited me to dinner.
Patsy: Oh, wow. It’s your first official date.
Don: Yep. I haven’t been on one of those since I took your mother to a Pink Floyd laser show. We both hated it. And I knew she was the one.
While Don prepares for his date, Todd and Patsy are over the top excited about the news of their pregnancy. Meanwhile, Sean and Joy are loving their new season of life. Kayla deals with the awkwardness of Alan being back with her. Through all of this, the biggest story continues to be Matt and Emmy. After their breakup, Emmy is taking the job that was offered and now planning to stay Philadelphia while Matt prepares to head back home to Los Angeles.
In the midst of this, Emmy has come to realize the role Don played in manipulating circumstances to keep her in Philly. From denying Matt permission to marry her to leveraging Ted’s legal trouble to get him to interview Emmy, she is seeing things in a new light.
Emmy: Well, that’s not the way I wanted to get it. You manipulated the whole situation.
Don: But you would’ve gotten the job anyway. Remember? Anyway?
Emmy: Wow. You really don’t get it. Just stop messing with my life.
As a bit of a nod to Emmy wanting to step out on her own, Sean then realizes he wants to find a job that makes him happy, so he proposes a new entrepreneurial challenge. He wants to make “eggies” for a living.
Sean: I’m gonna buy a food truck, and then start selling these suckers at construction sites around Philly. Those are my people. And they’re all gonna be begging for Eagle’s Eggies.
Joy: Sean. Where is this coming from?
Sean: From you. You told me you wanted me to be happy. And honestly, until today, I never even considered trying to find a job that could do that. Thanks, Joy.
Sean is taking a big risk, one he feels will be worthwhile if it means he can love his job.
Finally, we come to Matt who is in reflection mode and ready to make some changes when he gets home. He realizes he needs to overcome his fear of playing alone and start pursuing a solo career. While waiting for a standby flight in the bar he is at, Matt seizes the opportunity to take action and play for the small crowd that remains.
Matt: Uh, what if I played a song?
Bartender: You any good?
Matt: No, man. I’m no good. Psych. I’m great.
What transpires next is a great moment where Matt plays a beautiful song to the attentive crowd. He faced his fear, stepped out in faith, and that’s where the episode ends. It’s a new start for Matt as we head into the season finale.
Incredible things can happen when we are willing to step out of our comfort zone and take risks.
During the life of Jesus, he had a famous encounter with his disciples while out on the sea. Peter saw Jesus through the storm – and Jesus was walking on water. Jesus then invites Peter to take the greatest risk of his life:
Matthew 14:28-29
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
Peter took the risk, and the reward was something he never could have imagined. He walked on water and moved closer to Jesus.
Let’s take some time and discuss what it means to take a risk and how God might be inviting us to step out and trust Him.
Discussion Questions (for parents and their children to engage in together)
- If you were going to start your own business like Sean, what would you do? Do you have a name that’s better than “Eagle’s Eggies?”
- Why do you think it’s so hard for Don to go on a date after all these years? Why do you think he goes?
- How do you think Emmy is feeling at this point, between breaking up with Matt and learning how her dad manipulated things?
- Out of the risks you saw in this episode, which one do you think is the most impressive? Why do you think the way you do?
- What do you think it was like for Peter when he saw Jesus walking on water?
- What do you think was the most difficult part for Peter when Jesus invited him to come?
- What are some ways God has invited you to step out in your life? What was hard about stepping out, and how did things turn out?
- Share somewhere that God has been prompting you to step out in faith and take a risk. What’s holding you back? What is your first step?
- Why do you think it’s so hard for us to sometimes take that first step? How does Jesus’ invitation to Peter help you take that first step?
- Let’s close out praying together, asking God to give us faith and courage to answer His invitation to “come” and step out toward Him.
Rob Chagdes
Rob Chagdes is one of the pastors at Prairie Lakes Church in northern Iowa. In the years since he met Jesus as a sixteen year old, Rob has spent his life working to raise up the next generation to love God and invite others into His unending story. He spends most of his free time with his wife Leslie, their three amazing daughters, and their energetic dog Jedi. You can reach Rob at chagdeswrites@gmail.com
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